Lot 50

LOUIS XVI. STYLE LADIES’ DESK

The writing desk of first-class quality and design was made by Gervais-Maximilien-Eugène Durand, a company specialising in the production of French furniture of the highest quality. Durand produced almost exclusively reproductions of 18th-century masterpieces of craftsmanship. She exhibited at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1889 and won a silver medal and praise from the judges, who compared her work to that of Beurdeley and Dasson. When his son Frederic-Louis joined him in 1902, the firm changed its name to Durand et Fils. The work can be seen in the Museum of Decorative Arts in Lyon. The offered writing desk of subtle morphology, with a “kidney” shaped top centrally inset with gilded leather, exhibits maximum functionality through a pull-out writing desk and two side drawers. Fully restored.